Molding sand handling machine



Oct. 16, 1951 o. GREELEY MOLDING SAND HANDLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1'7, 1950 /n ven for Leo O. Gree/ex I g Q/ zffome Oct. 16, 1951 L. O. GREELEY MOLDING SAND HANDLING MACHLNE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 17, 1950 i l) venfo r Lgo O. Gre

0st. 16, 1951 L. o. GREELEY MOLDING SAND HANDLING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 17, 1950 lnvenfor Leo OGree/ey I v Afforne s Patented Oct. 16,1951

MOLDING SAND HANDLING MACHINE Leo 0. Greeley, Cadillac, Mich., assignor to F. J McCarthy, 1110., Cadillac, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application March 17, 1950, Serial No. 150,289

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel, very practical and useful machine for handling sand, particularly in foundries. With the novel machine of my invention, molding sand properly mixed and tempered, disposed in a relatively long windrow on the floor of a foundry, may have the machine of my invention placed at one end of the windrow and, through the operation of the machine, the sand elevated to a higher level and delivered to a molding machine or flask or other sand receiving apparatus for making sand molds.

One object and purpose of the machine is to eliminate the somewhat prevalent practice of manually shoveling the sand from the windrow or accumulation of sand on the floor to the flask, and increase the speed of production of molds. Another object and purpose of the invention is to provide a novel machine which causes such speeding up of production, and which also acts in its operation to better the condition of the sand and to more thoroughly mix and condition it.

In the use of the machine it is attached to and becomes a part of a molding machine and together they must be moved lengthwise of the sand windrow as sand therefrom is taken, elevated, and used. A further object and purpose of the present invention is to provide very novel, practical and useful means for moving and maintaining the machine into operative relation to the sand supply as it is taken therefrom, and to automatically stop such movement whenever a predetermined amount of the sand has been elevated and delivered to the hopper from which it is dropped to the molding flasks. This insures that sand, beyond a practically usable and predetermined amount, shall not overload the hopper, and further insures that the machine will be moved into position to continuously take sand from the sand supply from the start at one end or side thereof until all of it has been consumed, utilizing practical, automatically actuated mechanism which is stopped from operation when the sand delivery hopper at'any time has received such predetermined amount of the sand in it.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the sand handling machine of my invention attached to a moldin machine as it is used in operation.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof with the middle portion of the conveyor housing or stack broken away,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, with some parts broken away and shown in section, of the upper portion of the machine, and with the parts in the position they take when the bodily movement of the machine into the sand suppl is stopped, the parts in Fig. 1 being in the other position where such machine is being pulled toward and into the sand, and

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the sand hopper with parts broken away showing the adjustable vanes therein.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the construction shown, a vertically positioned housing or stack I, having spaced apart sides, is connected at its lower end with an enlarged outwardly flaring hood 2, open at its rear side, at each end of which supporting rollers 3 are mounted for carrying the stack and hood over the floor of the foundry. A horizontal shaft 4 extends from one side to the other of the hood 2 and is mounted for rotation, on which, at opposite sides of the central plane of the stack I, helical conveyor elements 5 are secured. When the shaft 4 is driven such conveyor elements serve to move sand from opposite sides toward the middle of the hood and underneath the stack I. The shaft 4 is continually driven from a motor 6 by belt 7 or belts passing around a driven pulley 8 at one end of the shaft I. The speed of rotation of the shaft 4 is reduced to a fraction of the speed of rotation of the motor 6, by relative sizes 0 the driving and driven pulleys. I

At the middle portion 'of the shaft 4 an endless conveyor belt 9 passes around a suitable drum on the shaft. On the outer side of the runs of the conveyor belt spaced sand lifters or cups ID are permanently secured. Near the upper end of the stack I the conveyor passes around an upper drum I I on a shaft I2 which is adjustably mounted (Fig. 1) on bearings which are adjusted by screws I3 to maintain the conveyor belt under proper tension. The stack I at its upper end is closed, except for an opening in the side of the stack through which sand, lifted by the cups I0 is projected outwardly, the direction of rotation of the drum II, as indicated in Fig. 3, being counter-clockwise.

At the side of the hood 2, opposite where motor 5 is located (Fig. 1) a belt I4, driven from a pulley id on the shaft 4 drives a pulley I5 on a shaft forming a part of a gear reduction apparatus housed within a housing I6, the output shaft ll 'of said gear reduction mechanism being driven at a very low speed of rotation. The shaft I'I through belt I 8 drives a drum or pulley I 9 which acts as a winch to wind a line or cable 20, secured thereto at one end. The line or cable extends away from the machine in the direction of the length of the sand windrow or supply 2 I At the opposite end of the windrow 2| or in any event, at a distance from the machine, the line 2| is firmly anchored.

Each of the pulleys 4a and I5 is a compound pulley having a larger and smaller diameter, by passing the belt I4 around the small diameter of the pulley 4a and the large diameter of the pllley I5 the machine is moved slowly for loading sand but by reversing the position of the belt on the large diameter of the pulley 4a and the small diameter of the pulley l5 the driving speed is increased for returning the machine empty.

The wheels 3 are mounted on links 3a pivoted to the machine. The swinging ends of the links are supported by bars 31) which are connected to rotatable members 30. These rotatable members 30 may be turned by a suitable lever to elevate the machine for its return travel.

When the motor 6 is operating, the helical conveyor elements 5 carry the sand to the central position of the hood and'to the conveyor 9 keeping it supplied with sand, as long as a supply of sand is available. To maintain the supply of sand available, the winch winding the line'2il,

driving at low speed, pulls the machine over thefloor into the sand supply 2I so that sand is taken from it which shortly would exhaust the supply of sand going to the conveyor unless compensated for by moving the machine steadily into sand. It will be noted that from the lower portion of the rear side of the hood 2 a frame structure, generally indicated at 22, extends, which is connected at its rear end to wheels 23 shown in dash lines as supporting a molding machine 24, also indicated in dash lines, so that the-sand handling machine is maintained upright and the molding machine moves with it.

A hopper 25 is pivotally connected at its upper end portion at 25 to the upper portion of the stack I, and has an entrance in conjunction with the outlet opening at the side of the stack I. Sand elevated by the conveyor, and thrown laterally, passes into the hopper to partially fill it as shown at 2?. Such hopper extends to the rear from the upper part of the stack I and has a delivery opening over the flask-on the molding machine 25. Such opening is normally closed by oppositely extending generally clam shell clo sures 28, pivotally suspended on the hopper, which'may be simultaneously separated to release sand to the flask on the molding machine 24, linkage connections 29 between the two closure members 28 providing a means for separating such members on outward manual pull upon a handle 30 connected at the lower end of theouter member 28. Closure is made by pushing inwardly on such'handle.

The transverse width of the sand stream emerging from the hopper is governed by adjustable vanes 25a pivotally mounted at their upper ends within the hopper near its outlet. The lower ends of these vanes may be adjustably connected, as by bolts, to the hopper and thus the width of the stream of sand may be 3|, secured to the stack I, a bell crank, in effect, consisting of the two arms 32 and 33, the former longer than the latter, with a generally horizontal link 34 between the other end of the arm 33 and a suitable connection secured to the hopper 25. A strong tension spring 35 is connected at one end to the arm or bar 32 and at the other end fixed on the stack I. The force of the spring tends to turn the arm 33 counter-clockwise and hold the hopper 25 against dropping downwardly under its weight and under the weight of the sand 21 therein, until such weight of sand overcomes the spring 35. When such predetermined weight or amount of sand 21 is accumulated in the hopper 25, spring 35 is stretched and the bar 32 moves downwardly about the axis of the shaft 3 I.

A vertical long link 36 has a'pivotal connection to the bar 32 at its upper end. It extends downwardly and at its lower end has a pivotal connection to a bent lever 3'1, pivotally mounted between its ends on the hood 2 of the machine. At its opposite end lever 37 carries a roller 38 riding against one run of the belt I4.

When the bar 32 is in upper position, pulled vthere by the spring til, the roller 38 tensions belt I4 so that the winding drum or pulley I9 for the line 2i) is slowly turned. When the sand 2! in the hopper 25 reaches the weight sufiicient to overcome the spring 35, lever 3'! is turned, as in Fig. 3, releasing roller 38 from the belt I4 which, thereupon, is loosened and is not driven from the shaft 4. The helical screw conveyors and the lift conveyor will be continuously operated by the motor 6, but the machine will be stopped in its bodily movement towards the sand supply. Such stopping of movement shortly causes an exhaustion of sand for the vertical elevating conveyor. The machine stands still and is not again pulled forward to the sand supply 2i until the sand at 21 in the hopper has been reduced suificiently that spring 35 returns the parts to the operative position shown in Fig. 1, from the inoperative position shown in Fig. 3. Thereupon winding of the cable 2!) on the winch drum or pulley l9 again starts and continues until, again the weight of sand 21 in the hopper 25 automatically causes a stopping of the bodily movement of the machine toward or into the molding sand 2!.

The invention described in practical use has proved exceptionally satisfactory. The claims appended hereto define the invention which is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a sand elevating and handling machine, an endless vertically positioned conveyor for receiving sand at its lower end and elevating it to its upper end; a support therefor, a hopper to which the sand is delivered at the upper end of the conveyor, means for continuously driving said conveyor, a rotatable winch member having a line adapted to be wound thereon, said line connected. to said member at one end, the other end of the line being adapted to be anchored at a distance, means for driving said winch member from said conveyor driving means, and means for rendering said driving of the winch member inoperative upon the delivery of a predetermined amount of sand to said hopper, said driving of the conveyor continuing in operation.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, a hood at the lower end of said support, of greater width than the support, a horizontal shaft in the lower end of the hood, conveying means thereon for moving sand inwardly from either end of the hood to the center thereof and to said conveyor, said endless conveyor being driven by said shaft, and said shaft driving the winch member.

3. In a structure of the class described, a vertically positioned hollow stack, a vertically positioned endless conveyor located therein, a hood at the lower end of the stack extending laterally to each side thereof, a horizontal shaft mounted for rotation in the lower part of and from one end to the other of the hood, said conveyor at its lower end passing around and being driven by said shaft, a rotatably mounted winch member carried by said hood, means for driving the winch member from the shaft at a greatly reduced speed of rotation, said winch member being adapted to have one end of a line connected thereto for winding thereon and extending away for a distance and adapted to be anchored at its other end, a pivotally mounted hopper connected at the upper portion of said stack located at a side thereof, means at the lower end of the hopper for releasing sand therefrom, yielding means for normally holding the hopper in an upper position, said means yielding upon delivery of a predetermined quantity of sand to the hopper for the hopper to move downwardly about its pivot, and means operated by said downward movement of the hopper for rendering the driving means between said shaft and winch member inoperative until said hopper has been relieved of sand therein sufiicient for said yielding means to return the hopper to its initial position.

4. A structure as defined in claim 3, said means for driving the rotatable winch member including an endless belt, a pivotally mounted belt tightener bearing against said belt for tightening the belt, and link means between said belt tensioning means and the hopper for moving said belt tightener to inoperative position upon the hopper receiving a predetermined wei ht of sand, and for again tightening the belt when the sand within the hopper is delivered therefrom to an extent that the hopper returns to its initial position.

5. In a structure as described, a vertical hollow stack having an enlarged laterally extending hood at its lower end open at one side, said open side being adapted to be presented to a quantity of sand, 3, horizontal shaft rotatably mounted in the lower end of said hood, conveying elements on said shaft for moving sand inwardly toward the center of said hood and below said stack, means for driving said shaft, an endless vertical conveyor located in said stack passing around and driven by said shaft at its lower end, a movably mounted hopper carried by said stack at the upper portion thereof into which sand is delivered by said conveyor, a rotatable winch member mounted on said hood, means for driving said winch member, at a greatly reduced speed of turning, from said shaft driving means, a line connected at one end to said winch member to be wound thereon and adapted to be anchored at its other end at a distance therefrom in the direction of the sand at the open lower side of said hood, yielding means for normally holding said hood in one position and yielding to permit said hood to move to another position on delivery of a predetermined amount of sand thereto, and means interposed between said hopper and the winch member driving means, for rendering said driving means inoperative when the hopper, under the weight of sand delivered thereto, moves away from its initial normal position.

6. In a sand. handling machine, a vertical stack, an endless conveyor therein adapted to receive sand at the lower end of the stack and elevate it to the upper end, a hopper for receiving the sand carried by said stack at its upper portion, means for driving the conveyor, a rotatable winch mounted with said stack, having a line secured to it at one end, and line being adapted to be anchored at its other end away from the stack, means for driving the winch from said shaft and means for rendering said winch inoperative upon a predetermined delivery of sand to said hopper, and to againrender it operative upon withdrawal from said hopper of a second predetermined quantity of sand.

7. In a sand handling machine, a vertical conveyor supporting means therefor adapted to be moved over a foundry floor, means for driving the conveyor, a hopper for receiving sand from the conveyor located above the foundry floor, a winch connected to the stack adapted to have a line secured thereto at one end and anchored at its other end at a distance from said stack, means for driving said winch at a greatly reduced speed of rotation from the conveyor driving means, and means for rendering the winch driving means inoperative upon delivery of a predetermined amount of sand to said hopper, and again render it operative upon withdrawal a second predetermined amount of sand from the hopper.

8. The elements of claim 7 combined with means for elevating the machine above the floor and means for increasing the driving speed of said winch for return movement of the machine.

LEO O. GREELEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,309,836 Beardsley July 15, 1919 2,539,939 Willard Jan. 30, 1951 

